Morales Claims Victory in Bolivia

Bolivian President Evo Morales has won the presidency after obtaining 46.9% of the votes against 36.7% from right-wing main opposition candidate Carlos Mesa.

David Mercado, REUTERS | Bolivia’s President and current presidential candidate for the Movement for Socialism (MAS) party Evo Morales speaks during a closing campaign rally in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, October 15, 2019.

Morales claimed victory on Sunday night saying that “most importantly, we again have an absolute majority in the chambers of Deputies and Senators. That is the result of the consciousness of the Bolivian people.”

Morales counted on the rural vote, which took more time to be counted but handed him the so awaited victory to lead from 2020 to 2025. His party will also have a majority in Congres meaning governance will not be blocked by opposition parties.

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The president, a former union leader for coca growers, became Bolivia’s first Indigenous president in 2006. He has overseen a long stretch of political and economic stability for Bolivia, a landlocked country of 11 million people.